Refrigerator



Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,225,926 REFRIGERATOR Application September 17, 1936, Serial No. 101,223 In Germany September 27, 1935 9 Claims.

Myinvention relates to refrigerators, and more particularly to refrigerator cabinet structure.

It is an object of my invention to provide a breaker or facing strip which may be combined with a gasket and will effectively prevent the escape of cold air from a refrigerator cabinet and will also seal inner and outer wall members around a door or door opening of a refrigerator cabinet.

Another object of my inventionis to provide a breaker strip which will effectively seal the inner and outer wall members of the'door of a refrigerator cabinet and will also retain in proper spaced relation insulating material, such as sheets of metal foil, disposed in the space between the inner and outer wall members.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing, and the various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims forming a part of this specification.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a refrigerator embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of a refrigerator cabinet illustrating a modification of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to Fig. 2 illustrating another modification of my invention. Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, I have shown my invention applied to a refrigerator cabinet I0 having a storage compartment ll into which access may be had by a door l2 hinged at I3 to the front of the cabinet. The door 12 comprises outer and inner wall members It and I5 which are maintained in spaced relation by a wooden frame structure I6 with the space therebetween filled with a suitable heat insulating material IT. The edges of the outer and inner wall members 14 and I5 are secured to the door frame l6, and a trim or breaker strip l8, which extends over the edge of the inner wall member I5, is arranged about the door frame I 6. The door frame i6 is provided with an outer ledge l9 which overlies the outer wall member 28 of the cabinet l8 when the door is closed.

Between the spaced outer and inner wall members 20 and 2| of the cabinet I0 is interposed a suitable heat insulating material 22. The outer wall member 20 extends about a wooden door frame 23 with the extreme edge thereof fitting into a recess 24 formed in the inner edge of the frame, whereby the outer wall member terminates seat the forward part of the frame and is substantially flush with the inner edge thereof. The inner wall member 2| is provided with an offset edge portion which fits into a second recess 25 formed at the rear part of the inner edge of the frame 23. It is to be understood that the .top 5 and bottom as well as the side walls of the wall members 20 and 2| forming the outer and inner liners of the cabinet terminate and fit into the recesses 24 and 25 at the inside edge of the door frame 23.

In accordance with my invention I provide a breaker or facing strip 26 for sealing the outer and inner wall members 20 and 2| at the'docr frame 23 and for preventing the escape of cold air from the storage compartment II when the 15 door I2 is in its closed position. The facing strip 26 may be combined with a gasket and comprises a strip of resilient or elastic material, such as rubber, for example, having a flat portion 21 and a hollow striking bead 28 formed along one 20 edge thereof. The fiat portion 21 serves as the facing strip for sealing the spaced edges of the outer and inner wall members 20 and 2 I. The resilient strip 26 is contiguous to and overlies the spaced edges of the outer and inner wall mem- 25 bers 20 and 2| and is secured in any suitable manner, as by screws 29, to the inner edge of the frame 23. The hollow striking bead 28 formed at the edge of the strip 26 is adjacent to the outer wall member 20 and bears against the por- 30 tion of the latter forming the front wall of the cabinet I ll.

In view of the foregoing, it will be understood that I have provided a simple construction for sealing the spaced edges of the outer and inner 35 wall members 20 and 2| at the door frame 23 of the cabinet l0, whereby moisture is effectively prevented from entering the space between the wall members containing lthe heat insulating material 22. By forming the; hollbwstriking 40 bead 28 on the resilient strip 26, a simplified construction is provided whereby the necessity for a separate gasket is avoided and the facing strip and gasket may be secured to the frame 23 of the door opening in a single operation. With 4 the provision of a combined facing strip and gasket of the character just described, the forces acting on the striking bead 28, when the door I2 is moved to its closed position, are distributed throughout a relatively large part of the resilient strip and not limited to the striking bead 28 itself, so that the likelihood of the door [2 being sprung when it is locked into position is avoided.

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated a modification of the embodiment just described in which a breaker strip 30 is provided for sealing the outer and inner wall members l4 and I5 of the door I2 and combined with a gasket for preventing the escape of cold air from the storage compartment II when the door is in its closed position. The parts illustrated in Fig. 2 which are similar to those shown in Fig. 1 aredesignated by the same reference numerals. In Fig. 2 the facing strip 21' only extends to the front wall of the cabinet l0 and is preferably formed of resilient or elastic material.

The breaker strip 30 comprises a strip of resilient or elastic material which is arranged about the peripheral edge of the door l2 and is secured along its longitudinal edges to the outer and inner wall members I4 and I5 of the door. The portion of the strip 30 extending from the inner wall member l5 to the inner surfacr of the ledge l9 serves as a breaker strip. The strip 30 is bent at the inner surface of the ledge l9, and on the outer portion thereof bearing against the ledge is formed a hollow striking bead 3|. The striking bead 3| is spaced slightly from the extreme outer edge of the strip whereby the latter may be secured in a recess formed by the inwardly bent edge of the outer wall member l4 and the ledge I9.

I have illustrated another modification in Fig. 3 which is similar to that shown in Fig. 2 and differs therefrom in that the portion of the strip 30 serving as a breaker strip is provided with a plurality of recesses 3| on the inner surface thereof for receiving the edges of sheets 32 of metal foil insulation. The outer and inner wall members It and I5 may be secured in spaced relation in any suitable manner, and this may be accomplished by providing tubular members 33 which extend between the inner wall member l5 and the frame structure l6 to which the outer wall member I4 is secured. The tubular members 33 are spaced about the door l2 at the frame structure It and are held in position by screws 34 extending therethrough. The screws 34 are of a length corresponding to the spacing of the inner and outer wall members of the door and serve as connections which are independent of the breaker strip and spaced inward from the latter. With this arrangement the tongues or edge portions of the strip 30, which are overlapped and concealed by the flanges of the inner and outer wall members l4 and I5, are separable from the flange without disturbing the fixed relation of the walls. The

door I2 is thermally insulated bythe plurality of sheets 32 of metal foil arranged in spaced relation between the outer and inner wall members [4 and IS, the sheets of metal foil preferably being very thin and formed of aluminum or other suitable material having bright reflecting surfaces which efiectively reduce heat transfer due to radiation. The recesses 3! formed on the inner surface of the strip 30 receive the edges of the sheets 32 of metal foil and hold them securely to maintain them in proper spaced relation. When the portion of the strip 30 utilized as a breaker strip is provided with recesses 3! on the inner surface thereof, this portion of the strip is preferably formed of a resilient or elastic material which will be sufliciently rigid to maintain the proper spacing of the sheets 32 of the metal foil. In such case, the portion of the resilient strip 30 having the recesses 3| may be formed of hard or semi-soft rubber while the por-' tion thereof bearing against the inner surface of the ledge l9 may beformed of soft rubber with the hollow striking bead 3| preferably formed of sponge rubber.

Although I have described and illustrated several modifications of my invention, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as pointed out in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator cabinet having an opening, a door for closing the opening having an outer ledge adapted to overlie the outer wall of the cabinet when said door is in its closed position, said door having spaced outer and inner wall members, a strip of resilient material extending about the peripheral edge of said door with the longitudinal edges thereof adapted to be fixed to said outer and inner wall members, said strip having a portion extending from said inner wall member to the inner surface of said ledge and a flat portion bearing against the latter, a hollow striking bead formed on said fiat portion adapted to seal said door when it is in its closed position, the portion of said strip extending from said inner wall member to the inner surface of said ledge serving as a breaker strip and having recesses formed on the inner surface thereof, and means including thin metal sheets having bright reflecting surfaces arranged in the space between said inner and outer wall members for thermally insulating said door, said recesses receiving the .edges of said metal sheets to maintain the latter in spaced relation. 3

2. A refrigerator cabinet having an opening, a door for closing the opening having inner and outer wall members, means for maintaining said wall members, means for maintaining said wall members in fixed spaced relation, a strip of resilient material extending about the peripheral edge of said door with the inner longitudinal edge thereof being contiguous to said inner wall member, said strip having recesses formed on the inner surface thereof, and means including spaced sheets arranged in the space between said inner and outer wall members for thermally insulating said door, said recesses receiving edges of said sheets to maintain the latter in spaced relation.

3. Closure structure for a cabinet and including, in combination, inner and outer wall members, means for maintaining said wall members in spaced relation, a strip of insulating material extending along the periphery of said structure and having a portion disposed transversely to said wall members and another portion parallel to said wall members, said portion parallel to said wall members including a hollow striking bead, means including sheets arranged in spaced relation in the space between said inner and outer wall members for thermally insulating said structure, and means on the inner surface of the transversely disposed portion of said strip to which the edges of said sheets may be secured for maintaining the latter in spaced relation.

4. Closure structure for a cabinet and including, in combination, spaced apart inner and outer wall members, said inner and outer wall members having edge portions spaced apart to provide a relatlvely wide gap therebetween, a breaker strip of poor heat conducting material extending lengthwise of and spanning the gap between said edge portions, said breaker strip cooperating with said edge portions to form an outer boundary of the structure, means including sheets arranged in spaced relation in the space between said inner and outer wall members for thermally insulating said structure, and said strip having notches on the inner surface thereof to receive the edges of said sheets to maintain the latter in spaced relation.

5. Closure structure for a cabinet and including, in combination, inner and outer wall members, said inner and outer wall members having edge portions spaced apart to provide a relatively wide gap therebetween, a breaker strip of poor heat conducting material extending lengthwise of and spanning the gap between said edge portions, said breaker strip cooperating with said edge portions to form an outer boundary of the structure, insulating material disposed in the space between said inner and outer wall members for thermally insulating said structure, and means on the inner surface of said breaker strip to which said insulating material may be fixed for maintaining the latter in position.

6. Closure structure for a cabinet and including, in combination, inner and outer wall members, said inner and outer wall members having edge portions spaced apart to provide a relatively wide gap therebetween, a breaker strip of poor heat conducting material extending lengthwise of and spanning the gap between said edge portions, said breaker strip cooperating with said edge portions to form an outer boundary of the structure, means including sheets arranged in spaced relation in the space between said inner and outer wall members for thermally insulating said structure, and means on the inner surface of said breaker strip to which the edges of said sheets may be secured for maintaining the latter in spaced relation.

7. Closure structure for a cabinet and including, in combination, spaced apart inner and outer wall members, a strip of resilient material extending along the periphery of said structure and having a portion disposed transversely to said wall members and another portion parallel to said wall members, said portion parallel to said wall members including a hollow striking bead,

' insulating material disposed in the space between said inner and outer wall members for thermally insulating said structure, and means on the inner surface of the transversely disposed portion of said resilient strip to which said insulating material may be fixed for maintaining the latter in position.

8. 'A door for closing an opening of a refrigerator cabinet including inner and outer walls spaced to receive insulation therebetween, said outer wall having an inwardly projecting marginal flange and said inner wall having a flange extending toward said first flange but spaced therefrom to provide a relatively wide gap therebetween, a breaker strip comprising a strip of resilient material extending lengthwise of and spanning the gap between said flanges, said strip having marginal edge portions providing tongues overlapped and concealed by the flanges of said outer and inner walls, means connecting the outer and inner walls in fixed spaced relation with said tongues in interlocking engagement with the flanges of said walls, said connecting means being independent of said breaker strip and spaced inwardly from the latter rendering said tongues separable from said flanges without disturbing the fixed relation of said walls.

9. A door for closing an opening of a refrigerator cabinet including inner and outer walls spaced to receive insulation therebetween, said outer wall having an inwardly projecting marginal flange and said inner wall having a flange extending toward said first flange but spaced therefrom to provide a relatively wide gap therebetween, a breaker strip comprising a strip of resilient material extending lengthwise of and spanning the gap between said flanges, said breaker strip having marginal edge portions providing tongues overlapped and concealed by the flanges of said outer and inner walls, means connecting the outer and inner walls in fixed spaced relation with said tongues in interlocking engagement with the flanges of said walls, said means connecting the outer and inner walls in fixed spaced relation including fastening elements of a length substantially corresponding to the spacing of the inner and outer walls of the door rendering said tongues separable from said flanges without disturbing the fixed relation of said walls.

WILHELIVI OELMANN. 

